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South Texas U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Laredo Democrat and the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Appropriations panel, is continuing to back funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) even as the agency faces intense scrutiny after two high-profile civilian killings in Minneapolis and other aggressive enforcement actions that have sparked protests and political backlash.
In an interview with the Rio Grande Guardian, Cuellar said he opposes “defunding of ICE,” arguing the strategy would mainly punish other parts of the federal government in a shutdown scenario.
He pointed to the 2025 “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which he noted he voted against, as providing ICE and the Department of Homeland Security with substantial funding outside the annual appropriations process — money that could allow immigration enforcement to keep operating even if other agencies face disruptions.
Critics — inside and outside his party — say Congress should use the appropriations process to force sharper limits on ICE tactics, including mask and identification rules, clearer use-of-force standards, and explicit protections against detaining or deporting U.S. citizens. Cuellar has said those reforms should be strengthened, but he maintains that eliminating ICE funding is the wrong lever.
Cuellar has framed his position as supporting a narrower, “level-funded” approach paired with tighter oversight. House Democratic appropriators have said the current Homeland Security funding bill keeps ICE’s overall budget flat while reducing Enforcement and Removal Operations by $115 million and cutting detention capacity, while adding oversight and accountability measures.
Cuellar was among seven House Democrats who joined Republicans last week to pass a fiscal 2026 Department of Homeland Security funding bill that includes roughly $10 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The measure cleared the House with a vote of 220–207, meaning the Democrats’ votes were pivotal.
Cuellar defended his vote as a compromise that avoids a shutdown and preserves funding for border operations, first-responder grants and FEMA disaster relief. He has argued the bill adds oversight but falls short of reforms Democrats sought, such as stronger limits on ICE tactics.
The vote has drawn sharp criticism from immigrant-rights advocates and some Democrats amid heightened scrutiny of federal enforcement actions.
In New York, Rep. Tom Suozzi said he now regrets backing the bill, calling it a failure to treat the vote as a referendum on ICE’s conduct; other Democratic yes-voters, including Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, have issued statements and videos stressing they were supporting broader DHS and disaster funding, not endorsing ICE operations.
The bill now heads to the Senate ahead of a late-January funding deadline and could face changes.
Cuellar is seeking renomination in Texas’ 28th Congressional District against two primary challengers, businessman Andrew Vantine and Dr. Ricardo Villarreal.
Cuellar could face added headwinds after federal prosecutors charged him and his wife in May 2024 with bribery, money laundering and related offenses tied to foreign interests.
President Donald Trump pardoned Cuellar in December 2025, ending the case.
